BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND
The forested hills of Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve (41W600 Hughes Road, Elburn, IL 60119) reminded me of some sort of nature castle above the mostly flat farm fields that surrounded it. As I drove toward the preserve on a late-April day, farmers were at work tilling the deep black soil of their fields, which sharply contrasted with the bright blue sky. Farmers in their fields is a common sight in rural Kane County, but as a city person, it’s wonderful to see so much open space not covered by concrete and to see the hard work that it takes to grow the food we often taken for granted when we head to our local grocery store.
Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve is a heavily forested nature area with a glacial kame, which is a large hill of sand and gravel that was deposited by glaciers about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. The kame rises 200 feet above the surrounding tributaries of Blackberry Creek and the glacial outwash plain.
This is a good destination for those who want a peaceful hike. Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve has 955 acres of woodland, grassland, wetland, and cropland. There are 2.64 miles of trails, including East Loop Trail (0.25 miles, mowed), North-South Connector Trail (0.32 miles, gravel), North Loop Trail (1.29 miles, mowed), North Prairie Trail (0.44 miles, mowed), and West Woodland Trail (0.34 miles, foot trail). Click here for a trail map.
More than 170 species of birds have been observed at Johnson’s Mound, according to Ebird.org. They include black-capped chickadees, golden-crowned kinglets, turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, northern shrikes, yellow-throated vireos, scarlet tanagers, Nashville warblers, black-and-white warblers, great crested flycatchers, and ring-necked pheasants.
The wildflower viewing is also excellent. Look for shooting stars, violet wood sorrel, Dutchman’s breeches, Joe Pye weed, blue phlox, declined and large white trillium, Short’s aster, false rue anemone, cutleaf toothwort, spring beauty, large-flowered bellwort, and blue cohosh. The hills were blanketed with Virginia bluebells, birdsfoot violets, Mayapples, and smooth yellow violets when I visited. The heavily forested kame (of white and bur oak, sugar and black maple, white ash, walnut, basswood, hackberry, and other species of trees) makes for great fall leaf peeping. Unlike many preserves, Johnson’s Mound comes alive in the winter, with excellent opportunities for sledding and snowshoeing. Look for the mysterious face that’s carved in a tree at the top of the sledding hill near the stone cabin, which was built with stone that was salvaged from St. Gall’s Church (which was built in 1870 and demolished around 1925). Research has shown that the face has been present on the tree for more than 50 years, but no one knows who carved it.
A portion of Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve was designated as an Illinois Nature Preserve by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission in 1992. These preserves protect the highest quality natural lands in the state. Click here to learn more.
Final Thoughts
On the day I visited Johnson’s Mound, I drove 215 miles (roundtrip) around Chicago’s western suburbs to within an hour of the Mississippi River to explore five nature destinations. During my travels, I was enchanted by the beautiful farms, sights of horses and bison (at Nachusa Grasslands), the charming towns and scenery along the Fox River, the miles of parkland and trails, and the wide-open spaces in many parts of the area. I came home recharged and eager to spend a weekend in the area with my family. People in Illinois are sometimes so focused on vacationing in Indiana, Michigan, or Wisconsin (or heading to exotic beach locales or overseas) that we forget destinations in our own backyards. I encourage you to vacation locally and explore the Fox River Valley and other local areas. You can learn more about destinations in the Fox River Valley and other places to explore throughout Illinois by clicking here. Additionally, On the Fox! offers information on dining, shopping, and festivals and other events in the Fox Valley towns of Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles.
Before You Go
Hours: Sunrise to sunset, year-round
Rental Opportunities: The stone cabin, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, can be rented for small gatherings. You can also reserve two other shelters. Click here for more information.
What You Can Do There: Bicycling, Birdwatching, Educational and Self-Enrichment Opportunities and Classes, Hiking, Photography, Picnicking, Running/Exercise, Sledding, Snowshoeing
Nearby Nature Destinations: Almon Underwood Prairie Nature Preserve, Aurora West Forest Preserve, Dick Young Forest Preserve, Elburn Forest Preserve, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, Peck Farm Park, Sauer Prairie Kame Forest Preserve
Video: Check out this great video from the Forest Preserve District of Kane County to learn more about the history and flora and fauna of the preserve.
Driving Tour: A one-way road winds up to the top of the mound and back down again, which provides visitors who have mobility challenges with the opportunity to see some of the best areas of the preserve.
Copyright (text) Andrew Morkes
Copyright (text) Andrew Morkes, except the bird images:
Copyright Great Crested Flycatcher, Charlie Lister; Ring-Necked Pheasant, Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Nashville Warbler, David True/USFWS; Red-Tailed Hawk, Krista Lundgren/USFWS; Scarlet Tanager, Michael Schraam/USFWS
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Looking for some great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $18.99.
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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I have been a writer and editor for nearly 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I’m also a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 60 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental-focused titles that I’ve written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)
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